Performing Arts
From Library Reference
Books
To locate books in the library, use the Library Catalog.
NOTE: In general, the items listed here are NOT the ONLY sources available, but they are representative of available sources, and, for printed items, they are usually located in call number areas similar to the ones given here. That means that printed items will be located in the same general area by subject.
Theatre: Encyclopedias
World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre. REF. PN1861 .W67 1994 These volumes are organized by country. Indexes in each volume.
Cambridge Guide to Theatre. REF. PN2035 .C27 1995 Comprehensive coverage of the history and performance practice in various cultures, popular and traditional. Theatre: History
History of World Theater Londre. PN2104 .B413 1991 (Lower Level)
World Drama from Aeschylus to Anouilh. PN 2101 .N55 (Lower Level)
General Information about Plays
All sorts of interesting information about actors and actresses, playwrights, musicals, directors, comedians, criticism. It lists the first burlesque, the longest-running show, the most popular, the largest, etc. It covers various countries and time periods.
Best Plays. PN 2266 .A2 B4 (Lower Level) This series of volumes appears annually. It lists awards for plays of the particular year and has a cumulative index of plays in the series. It provides production and cast information for plays produced during the year and, for the top plays of the year, it has excerpts from the text of the play.
Drury’s Guide to Best Plays. REF. PN1655 .D8 This work indexes full-length, non-musical plays published in anthologies. Coverage is for older anthologies going back to about 1900. Included are not only those in the series "Best Plays of the Year," but those most popular with high schools and amateur groups. Plot synopses, cast requirements, and publishers are listed. There is a subject index, cast index, and listing of prize-winning plays. Top
Theatre: Criticism
Drama Criticism. REF. PN1601 .D59 This is a series of volumes with fairly lengthy articles on plays and playwrights. There are excerpts of criticisms written on individual works as well as general commentary. Also there are references to more information contained in the series such as Contemporary Authors and 20th Century Criticism. There is an index in each volume.
Critical Survey of Drama. REF. PN1721 .C74 The index is in the last volume. Biographical information, analysis of plays and bibliography of critical works concerning each playwright. The final volume contains essays on broad historical eras and genres.
American and English works primarily.
New York Theatre Critics’ Reviews: Index. REF. PN2000.N76. 1940- This provides references to the reviews contained in New York Theatre Critics’ Reviews which are shelved with the PERIODICALS, 2nd floor, beginning with 1967.
On Stage; Selected Theatre Reviews from the New York Times. Beckerman. REF. PN2277.N5 B4 Entries are by broad chronological divisions, then by play title. Brief details on performance and cast and the actual text of the review.
Reader’s Guide to Periodicals. REF. AI3 .R28 Beginning with 1983, this index (now available in WilsonSelectPlus) is available as an online source. The printed index is useful for information on older works. Usually entries in the printed indexes are NOT under the play titles but under general headings, such as "Theatre reviews" or "Motion pictures."
New York Times Index. REF. AI21 .N44, or you can search the online versions via New York Times Historical Backfile 1851-2001 and Lexis-Nexis Academic
As with the Reader’s Guide listed above, this index may be most useful for information on older works and productions. You may need to look under a general heading such as "Drama," or "Theatre Reviews or "Musicals, Revues, etc." rather than under the name of the play.
Essay and General Literature Index. REF. AI3 .E752
This indexes reviews that appeared in periodicals as well as chapters in books. Entries are under names of playwrights. The information is divided: critiques of the author’s work on the whole and those on his individual works. Top
Copies of Play Texts
Guinness Book of Theatre Facts and Feats Billington. REF. PN2037 .B54 1982
All sorts of interesting information about actors and actresses, playwrights, musicals, directors, comedians, criticism. It lists the first burlesque, the longest-running show, the most popular, the largest, etc. It covers various countries and time periods.
Best Plays. PN 2266 .A2 B4 (Lower Level)
This series of volumes appears annually. It lists awards for plays of the particular year and has a cumulative index of plays in the series. It provides production and cast information for plays produced during the year and, for the top plays of the year, it has excerpts from the text of the play.
Drury’s Guide to Best Plays. REF. PN1655 .D8
This work indexes full-length, non-musical plays published in anthologies. Coverage is for older anthologies going back to about 1900. Included are not only those in the series "Best Plays of the Year," but those most popular with high schools and amateur groups. Plot synopses, cast requirements, and publishers are listed. There is a subject index, cast index, and listing of prize-winning plays.
WARNING: the text of plays printed here are not complete. Some plays are featured as the "best" for that year; others are listed for casting and production information and brief synopses. There is a listing of awards. The index lists plays in the series and refers to the volume year of the series where they can be found. Indexed in Drury’s.
NOTE: You may also have some luck with the following publications (and others similar to these). To find more such publications, use "best plays" as a "Any Words Anywhere" search in the Library Catalog to get the exact titles of these books. Or you can use the call numbers given here as a guide for a shelf search.
Best Short Plays. PN 6111 .B47 (Lower Level)
An annual publication with complete texts of 10-12 short plays for each year. Biographical introduction for each playwright. Not indexed in Drury’s.
Plays for the Theatre: an Anthology of World Drama. PN6112 .P57 (Lower Level)
Several volumes of well-known plays. Not indexed in Drury’s.
Best American Plays. PS634 .B4 (Lower Level)
Volumes cover a series of years each. Texts of complete plays. Indexed in Drury’s.
NOTE: The 2 main SOURCES FOR TEXTS of plays are Samuel French and Dramatists Play Service. If all else fails, contact one or the other to order a play text. These suppliers have catalogs for thousands of plays, reasonably priced
Samuel French, Inc., 45 W. 25th St. New York, NY 10010 212-206-8990
Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 440 Park Ave. South New York, NY 10016 212-683-8960
Stagecraft and Scene Design
Listed here are a few books to get you started:
Computer Scenographics. PN2091 .S8 P349 1994 (Lower Level)
Essentials of Stage Lighting. PN 2091 .E4 S4
Stage Management Handbook. OVSIZE. PN2085 .I5 1992
Chronicle of Western Fashion: From Ancient Times to the Present Day. REF. GT511 .P42 1991
Historical Encyclopedia of Costumes. REF. GT510 .R3313 1988
Sources Useful for Job-Hunting
Theatre Profiles, the Illustrated Reference guide to America’s Non-Profit Professional Theatre. REF. PN2266 .T48 Lists of theatre companies, addresses, facilities, productions.
Regional Theatre Directory. REF. PN2289 .R44 National guide to employment in regional and dinner theatres.
Job Book, 100 Acting Jobs for Actors. REF. PN2055 .A45 1995 Creative suggestions for part-time jobs that earn money and experience. Suggestions include film dubbing, piano accompanying, talking-book reading, puppeteer, jingles singer. Lots more.
Broadway Shows and Musicals
NOTE: Reviews for shows can be found in such sources as WilsonSelectPlus and The New York Times, but in the printed indexes reviews will NOT be listed under the title of the show. Instead, they will be under headings such as "Musicals, revues, etc." or "Theatre reviews."
Reader’s Guide to Periodicals. REF. AI3 .R28 Beginning with 1983, this index (now available in WilsonSelectPlus) is available as an online source. The printed index is useful for information on older works. Usually entries in the printed indexes are NOT under the play titles but under general headings, such as "Theatre reviews" or "Motion pictures."
New York Times Index. REF. AI21 .N44, or you can search the online versions via New York Times Historical Backfile 1851-2001 and Lexis-Nexis Academic
Broadway Musicals, Show by Show. Green. REF. ML1711 .G735 Entries are arranged by show titles. Indexes for librettos, composers, cast. It also lists major songs, the length of the work, place and dates of the show’s run, brief history.
American Musical Theatre. Bordman. REF. ML1711 .B67 Entries are chronological, brief. Index of shows, songs, cast, etc.
Encyclopedia of the Musical Theater. Ganzel. REF. ML102 .M88 G3 1994 A comprehensive listing of musical plays, composers, actors, actresses, librettists, lyricists, producers, etc. There are bibliographies of works about composers and lists of their works. Films and recordings are also mentioned. No ballets, operas, pantomimes, or revues, however. Some illustrations.
Theatregoer’s Almanac. REF. PN2266 .H53 1997 Facts and trivia about Broadway, plays, musicals, awards, casts, etc.
Film
Film Review Annual. REF. PN1995 .F463 1982- Entries by film title. Major reviews (text and citations). A volume for each year of film production.
Chronicle of the Cinema. REF. PN1993.5 .A1 C5 1995 Year-by-year approach to the history of film. Illustrated. Index
Magill’s survey of cinema. English Language Films. REF. PN1995 .M3 Lists film titles, synopses, casting information, history, details of production
Hollywood Financial Directory REF. PN1993.5 .U65 H59 Lists companies and staff, cross-reference index by type of work and company.
TV and Radio
Broadcast Communications Dictionary. REF. PN1990.4 .D5 1989 Covers such topics as scheduling of shows, audience characteristics, ratings, advertisers, awards, networks, stations.
Encyclopedia of Television. REF. PN1992.18 .E53 Illustrated history of television. Index
Television Production Handbook. Zettl. REF. PN1992.75 .Z4 Deals with technical aspects of production, equipment, lighting, sound, editing procedures, etc. Glossary, index.
Radio and Television Career Directory. REF. HE8689.8 .R33 Ideas for job searching, the type of jobs one can expect, how to look, where to look, how to prepare. Information on stations, names of contacts, number of job openings etc. may be dated. For that kind of information, consult something like the Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook (see below) and Industry Handbooks – Telecommunications (see below). Web searches may also be useful.
Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook. REF. HE8689 .B77 (updated annually) Comprehensive listing of directory information on stations across the country. Associations, regulatory associations etc. are also listed. Events, schools with a specialty in broadcasting, awards, FCC rules are some more topics covered. Articles on the history of broadcasting. Covers TV, radio, cable, satellites. Industry yellow pages are in vol. 2.
Industry Reference Handbooks: Telecommunications. REF. HE7775 .I52 1998 Provides addresses, contact numbers, persons to consult, short description of the company.
Broadcasting and Cable. PERIODICALS, 2nd floor. This is a periodical presenting articles of interest to the industry.
NOTE: also see the SUBJECT GUIDE for Communication for more information on the media and communications.
Dance
International Dictionary of Ballet. REF. GV1585 .I57 1993 Covers history, artists, companies, individual ballets, etc. internationally. Illustrated.
Online Indexes & Databases
NOTE: These are subscription databases and require Bradley login and password for off-campus access.
Art Abstracts. 1984+. Indexes more than 400 key international arts periodicals and some other arts publications.
MLA International Bibliography. 1926+. A bibliography of scholarship in literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. About 75% are language and literature journal articles.
Project MUSE. Full Text. Mid or late 1990s to current. About 200 electronic journals, with emphasis on humanities and social sciences. It contains 2 important theatre publications in full text: Theatre Journal and Theatre Topics.
Literature Resource Center. Provides full-text access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analysis of authors and their works from every age and literary discipline. It covers thousands of novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, playwrights, and other writers. Searchable fields include: Author Name, Title, Genre, Literary Movement, and Literary Themes. Useful in finding information on playwrights.
All Subjects/Multidisciplinary indexes and databases.
Internet Resources Theatre
Broadway: the American musical Covering the time from 1904, the site provides much biographic information, including interviews. (Audio requires RealPlayer.) One of the most useful sections is hidden under “Resources” at the bottom of the home page, which gives access to topnotch Web sites.
Brief Guide to Resources in Theater & Performance Studies. Annotated links to allow fast access for information on theater.
CESAR A comprehensive reference source to theatrical entertainments and venues throughout France during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Costume Gallery. Provides over links to costume designers, costume history, and recreational sites.
The Costume Page. Costume and costume-related links. Includes history of costume.
Costumer's Manifesto. Links for costumers including history and costume advice.
Development of scenic spectacle This site deals with staging techniques employed in 16 th, 17 th, and 18 th century performances, many of them through animated virtual models. Bibliographies, links to articles and other sources are also provided.
Didaskalia: Ancient theater today. An English-language publication about Greek and Roman drama, dance, and music as they are performed today. Includes links to ancient production techniques, illustrations and bibliographies.
Dramatists Play Service, Inc.. Representing the American Theatre by publishing and licensing the work of new and established playwrights.
Drew's Scripts-O-Rama. Comprehensive index of movie and TV scripts.
IDEA--International Dialects of English Archive. An archive of MP3 files devoted to the different accents which are used by both native and non-native speakers.
Internet Broadway Database. The official database for Broadway theatre information from the beginning to the present.
Mr William Shakespeare and the Internet.
MusicalHeaven The site has information on all kinds of musical shows: opera, movie musicals, Broadway, etc. It lists synopses of plays, licensing agents, original cast recordings, etc.
New Dramatists. Non-profit organization that is dedicated to the development of new playwrights.
Performing Arts Encyclopedia . Access to the Library of Congress's vast collections of music, theatre, and dance.
Playwrighting Resources. Links for the theatre playwright
Perseus Digital Library. Full text for classic Greek theatre and English Renaissance (Shakespeare, Marlow).
Talkin' Broadway. Includes Broadway & Off-Broadway theatre discussions, cast recording reviews, and interviews with actors and actresses.
Theatre Central. Many links to resources ranging from theatre companies, stagecraft, literature, and performance listings. Includes a searchable directory of theatre professionals.
WWW virtual library of theatre and drama This is a gateway to a multitude of links, lists and archives; it also has a search feature. It is an international resource that gives access to conferences, publishers, suppliers, theater companies and schools, also plays in full text
Internet Resources, Film
All movie guide Searchable by title, actors, directors, writers, this source features a vast amount of information, factual and descriptive, for over 215,000 titles.
Internet Movie Database. A plethora of movie information.
Masters of Cinema. A site dedicated to the work of major film directors and film, world-wide.
MovieFlix.com. Films of "classic," free Hollywood classics, cartoons, shorts, and TV shows. (Need to register.)
Movie review query engine Over 185,000 reviews from newspapers and other sources.
Internet Resources, Dance
Artslynx International Dance Resources. Many links to all kinds of dance-related information. Has a good search function.
Cyberdance. Classical ballet and modern dance resources on the Internet. Information about companies, people, news, and more.
Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Access to the Library of Congress vast collections of music, theatre, and dance.
Voice of Dance. First-rate graphics. Archived news and many links to dance-related sites. Has a searchable database.
Don't See What You're Looking For?
If you didn't find the help you were looking for on this page, please call, e-mail, or append a comment to let us know what kind of research assistance you were seeking. We are here to help, and we want to know if our services could be made more useful. Thank you for helping us build a better Reference Service. == Don't See What You're Looking For? ==
If you didn't find the help you were looking for on this page, please call, e-mail, or append a comment to let us know what kind of research assistance you were seeking. We are here to help, and we want to know if our services could be made more useful. Thank you for helping us build a better Reference Service. For a list of who to contact, go to: http://library.bradley.edu/staff/liaison.shtml
You can access many of the Library's research resources from the Library's home page, at: http://library.bradley.edu/
--updated by Bryan Clark, baclark@bradley.edu, 9:32, 18 August 2009 (CDT)
You can access many of the Library's research resources from the Library's home page, at:
http://library.bradley.edu/
--updated by Bryan Clark, baclark@bradley.edu, 2:06, 19 August 2009 (CDT)
